Hosanna in the highest! Elim celebrated Palm Sunday with a powerful word on Prayer!
As believers, prayer is the driving force, key & engine of everything in our lives. When God’s people come together to pray, God moves. Prayer goes along with giving and vice versa.
A church or a person who doesn’t pray is dead. You may be anointed and gifted but a lack of prayer means that the anointing or the gifts of the Spirit won’t flow. If you want God to anoint you & use you, and you want to encounter God & to walk in the supernatural, begin to pray.
The disciples understood the importance of prayer so they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). If prayer becomes the center of everything we do and every area of our lives, we will never be the same.
Prayer is a powerful weapon, it brings victory in our lives. Let’s put on God’s full armour and pray on all occasions (Eph.6:10-18) without ceasing (1 Thess.5:16-18) for prayerlessness is a sin (1 Sam.12:23).
In Matt.6:7, Jesus says, “when you pray” not “if you pray”. We spend so much time doing other things but never find the time to pray & seek the face of God.
When a righteous man prays, it is effective, power is released, it accomplishes much (James 5:16). The devil’s main aim is to keep us from praying, for a praying Christian is a dangerous Christian.
Believers who don’t pray have an axe without a head or a blunt axe head. Prayer will sharpen your axe head and make you effective, powerful and victorious in the kingdom of God. Prayer is so crucial that Jesus said his house will be called a house of prayer (Matt.21:13). It means every member of the house must pray.
Keys to answered prayer:

1. Submit to God – Jesus’ prayers were heard because of His reverent submission (Heb.5:7). For answered prayers, we must submit to the will, Word of God & Lordship of Christ. Submission is saying, “it’s not about me, it’s about You Lord” (Luke 22:42).
2. Approach God boldly – Jesus gave us access to God through the finished work of the cross; through the shedding of his blood (Heb.10:19). Go to God in confidence to receive grace to help you in your needs (Heb.4:16)!
3. Pray in the name of Jesus – When we pray in the powerful name of Jesus, demons flee. At the beautiful gate, Peter and John had nothing to offer the beggar except the healing of the name of Jesus (Acts 3:6). God will give us what we ask only in the name of Jesus (John 16:23). It is only by one name (Jesus) that we are saved (Acts 4:12).
4. Having the right motive – We should not be self-centered in our prayer lives. Our motive should be for the glory of God (James 4:2-3).
5. Forgive those who hurt you – Unforgiveness is a hindrance to prayer; a wall between you and the Lord (Mark 11:25). Be quick to forgive so that your prayers may be answered!